Chinatown Lad the one to beat in the Gold Cup

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Chinatown Lad the one to beat in the Gold Cup"

Heather Scott
5 years ago
Views:

MEDIA RELEASE 30th May 2008 Chinatown Lad the one to beat in the Gold Cup TASMANIA S superstar stayer Chinatown Lad demolished his Albion Park Gold Cup heat rivals on Thursday night running 42.

1 MEDIA RELEASE 30th May 2008 Chinatown Lad the one to beat in the Gold Cup TASMANIA S superstar stayer Chinatown Lad demolished his Albion Park Gold Cup heat rivals on Thursday night running on a rain affected track. The son of Lilli Pilli Lad-Chinatown Babe scored by 16 and three-quarter lengths over Misty Bear with a half length to Fast Dream in third. The merit of his performance was in the fact he ran such fast time on a track that stewards had downgraded to slow just before the race. First heat winner Xanadu s Image ran while Chinatown Lad s litter sister Fallen Zorro ran in her heat win. Gavin Whitney, father of the dog s trainer Shane and breeder of the litter, said he was surprised by the ease of the victory by Chinatown Lad. The victory was Chinatown Lad s 15th in 27 race starts. We are staying with Paul Felgate and will be here all week before the final, said Gavin. The Whitneys have 30 dogs on their eight acre property at Brighton just north of Hobart and 16 of those are in training. Gavin Whitney bred Chinatown Lad from unraced bitch Chinatown Babe. She was going to be a champ and trialled sensationally at Cranbourne and Warragul when she was 16 months old, but she broke a foot and had to be retired without a race start, said Gavin. I brought her home and bred with her. The Whitneys won a Tweed Galaxy with Lillipilli Power who is by the same sire as Chinatown Lad and out of his granddam. Chinatown Lad is raced by Katrina Gregory who was sold the dog for $500 as a pup. We expect Katrina to come up next week for the final, said Gavin. Gavin said Gregory had refused a $300,000 offer for Chinatown Lad after he broke the Cannington track record in April. The Whitneys have been to Albion Park before. They brought Atomic Jet here two years ago but he failed in the heats of the Gold Cup. Gavin said he had a litter of pups by Elite State from Chinatown Babe that have just been broken in with great reports. Her next litter with be by Brett Lee, said Gavin. I ve got a couple of straws to him and one will go on her. Continued on Page 2

2 2 Gavin Whitney has been in greyhound racing since he was 14. He is now 61. And Shane didn t have any chance. He s been in dogs all his life, said Gavin. Fallen Zorro was down a half kilo in weight when she won her heat of the Albion Park Gold Cup on Thursday night. And Gavin Whitney, whose son Shane trains the Lilli Pilli Lad-Chinatown Babe bitch, says there is plenty of improvement in her. Fallen Zorro scored by two lengths in beating local hope Nicely Done with a length and a quarter to Victorian Just Friends flashing home for third. It was her 10th win in 24 starts. The bitch is raced by Terry Hassler and Colin Gerrity both of who have done work around the Whitney property at Brighton in Tasmania and were given the bitch for doing that work. The Whitneys say there is little between Chinatown Lad and his litter sister Fallen Zorro actually broke in better as pups. But he is better of the two now, said Gavin. But whenever we take them to Hobart to trial, there is only a half length between them. He s met her a couple of times and beaten her each time, in the Galaxy in Perth and the Sandown Cup. Gavin says there is plenty of improvement in Fallen Zorro. The rain didn t suit her, he said. She didn t even want to come out of the kennels tonight, but she was right when she got onto the track. I was a little concerned she was down a half kilo in weight. She ll be at her best for the final. Winter Chase winner Nicely Done was a good effort in the wet, leading to the shadows of the post before being run down by Fallen Zorro. Leith McHugh was the first to say I told you so when Xanadu s Image sprang a surprise when leading throughout to win her heat of the Albion Park Gold Cup (710m) on Thursday night. McHugh never lost confidence in the daughter of Bombastic Shiraz-Berella Xanadu and she repaid that by scoring in on the wet track. She won by three and a half lengths over fast finishing Kulu Spirit with Victorian Bye Bye Bones in third. Xanadu s Image was having her fifth start over 710m and it was her first victory. The good judges said she was no hope, said McHugh. But I knew she had her right box and if she could lead she would be right in it. That s exactly what the bitch did. She had a fall here about six or so runs back over 520m and really lost her confidence, said McHugh. That s why I stepped her up to 710m to give her some confidence. She was knocked down here last week and I thought she should have won that instead of running second to Gina Rosa. Each week she has been getting better and better and her confidence has been improving. Xanadu s Image took her record to eight wins from 31 starts and it was her fourth win at Albion Park. Last year she won the Ipswich Futurity over 520m. She s been a heartache for us but she is a very, very good bitch, said McHugh. Xanadu s Image is McHugh s first Group 1 finalist. He is adamant his bitch must draw an inside box to show her best. That s what happened tonight, he said. She came out running and from the inside draw she could lead. Xanadu s Image is a magnificent looking bitch who was bred by Laureene Renner and is raced by her daughter Charmaine Samuelsen. Won t she make a great broodbitch, said McHugh of Xanadu s Image. Thanks to David Brasch Queensland GRA Website for story material. Continued on Page 3

3 GROUP ONE CARTWRIGHT PROPERTY GOLD CUP $50,000 to the winner Chinatown Lad (TAS) 26 starts ($130,925) Lilli Pilli Lad Chinatown Babe Brindle Dog December '05 Owner: Katrina Gregory Trainer: Shane Whitney Albion Park best: (1) (1 Starts 1-0-0) Current superstar of the staying ranks who looked awesome when winning last week s heat in the fastest time of after trilling in the week before. Coming off a group one Sandown Cup win he is certainly the one to beat. It would take a brave man to tip against him from the perfect draw should lead all the way again. Fallen Zorro (TAS) 25 starts ($42,650) Lilli Pilli Lad Chinatown Babe Blue Fawn Bitch December '05 Owner: Colin Garity & Terry Hasler Trainer: Shane Whitney Albion Park best: (1 Starts 1-0-0) The obvious danger to her litter brother chased him home in the Sandown Cup final and looked good again last week winning her heat in Very smart type that appears to have many a battle with her sibling in the future, surprised if she doesn t run a place. Xanadu s Image 31 starts ($19,260) Bombastic Shiraz Berella Xanadu Fawn Bitch May '05 Owner: Charmaine Samuels Trainer: Leith McHugh Albion Park best: (2) (5 Starts 1-0-1) Handy local that scored her first Albion Park distance win in last week s heat. Would need to improve on her winning time of but certainly beat some nice company in the heat, place chance best. Bye Bye Bones (VIC) 49 starts ($83,350) Bombastic Shiraz Georgia Brown Black Dog December '04 Owners: Karl Webber Trainer: Darren McDonald Albion Park best: NBT (1 Starts 0-0-1) Talented Victorian stayer that finished third in the Sandown Cup finished third in last week s heat at his first run at Albion Park. Will be tested again by the favourite and would need to improve this week to beat him, a place chance is best. Nicely Done 33 starts ($37,100) Surf Lorian Nice Portrait Brindle Bitch November '05 Owners / Trainer: Robert Giltinan Albion Park best: (3) (6 Starts 4-1-0) Handy local with four wins at Albion Park and a personal best of 42.25, not the best of draws and she would need a heap of luck to trouble the more fancied finalists, a place chance at very best. Misty Bear 83 starts ($32,110) Go Wild Teddy Kissin Bobbie Blue Bitch August '04 Owner: Lorne Collins Trainer: Barry Dull Albion Park best: (8 Starts 1-2-1) Another local with plenty of experience here, however has only won one race from eight starts with best time of Will start big odds to upset this group of talented stayers place chance if everything goes right.

4 Kulu Spirit (VIC) 72 starts ($62,825) Token Prince Spilt Ink Brindle Dog April 04 Owner: J Clarson Trainer: Robert Britton Albion Park best: (8) (5 Starts 3-1-1) Handy Victorian stayer who finished fourth in the Sandown Cup final, has won three races on the track with a fast personal best of from an outside draw. In good hands and usually runs an honest race, place chance in this. Just Friends (NSW) 42 starts ($139,645) Token Prince Outrageous Angel Blue Bitch August '05 Owner: Peter Acers Trainer: Kelvyn Greenough Albion Park best: NBT (1 Starts 0-0-1) Outstanding stayer that has a Group one to her name, gets way in her races and was not suited by last week wet conditions. Solid performance in the race, but she will have to be closer to the leaders if she is to trouble the more fancied in the final, is capable and she does present an outside chance. Always well prepared to do her best not without a chance. Fast Dream 31 starts ($18,770) Just the Best Brandon Blue Finished third a long way behind Chinatown Lad last week and would need to improve if she gained a start. Seminole 84 starts ($30,700) Surf Lorian Up And Down Finished fourth last week behind Fallen Zorro beaten six and half lengths. Big odds on offer if she gains a start. Albion Park bookmaker Haydn Flynn s early betting market on the final is: $50,000 to the winner Group 1 Cartwright Property Gold Cup (710m) Box Greyhound Trainer Price Chinatown Lad Shane Whitney 1/3 Fallen Zorro Shane Whitney 6/1 Xanadu s Image Leith McHugh 15/1 Bye Bye Bones Darren McDonald 10/1 Nicely Done Robert Giltinan 50/1 Misty Bear Barry Dull 66/1 Kulu Spirit Robert Britton 6/1 Just Friends Kelvyn Greenough 40/1 Fast Dream Dean Turley 100/1 Seminole Kayleen Thrupp 100/1 Continued on Page 5

What s happening on race night? Cartwright Property Group Gold Cup The Brisbane club has a big night of entertainment planned for the first of their Group 1 Final nights for 2008.

5 Local Queensland expert s selections for the final are as follows. David Brasch Paul Dolan John Brasch 1 st Chinatown Lad 1 st Chinatown Lad 1 st Chinatown Lad 2 nd Fallen Zorro 2 nd Fallen Zorro 2 nd Fallen Zorro 3 rd Nicely Done 3 rd Just Friends 3 rd Nicely Done What s happening on race night? Cartwright Property Group Gold Cup The Brisbane club has a big night of entertainment planned for the first of their Group 1 Final nights for The following race night entertainment has been confirmed to ensure that all patrons will have plenty of entertainment on and off the track. The Beach Brothers will be playing live music all night. The Kids will be entertained with a Jumping Castle, face painters and balloon artists. Short Priced Gold Cup Favourite Chinatown Lad winning the Sandown Cup Continued on Page 6

6 The History of the Gold Cup The Gold Cup was first run at Gabba in 1974 and was known as the Gabba Gold Cup until 1980 when sponsored by SGIO for a year and by Woolworths of another year. It went back to the Gabba Gold Cup until 1988 when the race became the FAI Gold Cup for four years. It changed to the Albion Park Gold Cup when racing transferred there in 1993 and has been sponsored by current sponsor VIP Petfoods since It has been won by some champion stayers over the year s Dotie Wilson the only dog to win it twice in 75 and 76. Mandarin Girl 77, Picture This 82, National Star 85, Trojan Tears 94, Miss Cruise 95, Boronia Blossom 96, Totally Ablaze 98, Questions 99, Total Denial 2002, 2006 Miss Brook and last year s winner Miss Grub. GABBA GOLD CUP YEAR WINNER TIME 1974 Captain Winter Dotie Wilson Dotie Wilson Mandarin Girl Dusty Ginny Mockacindy Gini's Choice Final Dream Picture This High Monakii Shy Deena National Star Clover Park Shy Nimbus Gary's Hope Mary Casey Rocket To Tubrid Cobbalena Elusive Odie GOLD CUP AT ALBION PARK YEAR WINNER TIME 1993 Pilgrim s Star Trojan Tears Miss Cruise (NSW) Boronia Blossom Red Mystique Totally Ablaze Questions Amazing Dancer Hotshow Vintage Total Denial Dooley s Mist Toss O Reilly Last Quoted Miss Brook Miss Grub Continued on Page 7

7 Last Year s Gold Cup winner the mighty Miss Grub For more information please contact: Neil Brown Murray Nicol AGRA Publicity Officer AGRA Executive Officer Tel: Tel: Mob: Mob:

MEDIA RELEASE. 26th November Rocket Hot Again. By David Brasch Queensland Greyhound Magazine Website

MEDIA RELEASE. 26th November Rocket Hot Again. By David Brasch Queensland Greyhound Magazine Website MEDIA RELEASE 26th November 2010 Rocket Hot Again By David Brasch Queensland Greyhound Magazine Website QUEENSLAND S most exciting greyhound Red Rocket added even further to his growing reputation with